The National Equality March

It had to be at least 2am the morning of the National Equality March. I was scheduled to be at the stage to manage set-up in 2 hours. I hadn't slept. I hadn't written my speech. I hadn't this. I hadn't that. I hadn't. I hadn't. I hadn't.

That's when I had a panic attack.

At the time, I was so buried in the details of the culmination of 4 months of conference calls and tension and laughter and growth, that I had no moment to reflect upon what we were all about to accomplish. Cliche be damned, I was barefoot and freezing and pulling out my hair as one of my dearest Riff Raffs tried to comfort me or at least get me to calm down and go inside.

How did this all happen? What was it all for? What was to come? How much can we, the people, the Riff Raff, the organized, the underdog actually change? How oppressed are we truly? What are movements? What is revolution? What is action?

What does it mean to be a leader? Am I a leader? How much of all of this is my inflated ego? Have I been selfless? Have I been malicious? What have I done wrong or right and who will be the judge? The blogs? God? Why am I so cold? I should put on some shoes. I should go inside. I just won't sleep tonight. I'll be fine. Here I Am. Here I Am. Here I Am.

That's when I went inside, sat in the lobby with a napkin and pencil. And wrote my introduction for Cleve Jones:

People are obssessed with the number. How many people showed up? Well the reality is, is that no one can ever really tell. Time Magazine and the Advocate say 200,000. That sounds about right to me. But whether we say that or quarter of a million or 100,000 - does it change the effectiveness of what was created?

This march did many things for many people. For me, it transformed my identity. I know that I am now the Riff Raff. I am the Rank and File. And for that, I am proud.

Will that march change the way we organize ourselves in the future? Will that march change our society? What chain of events did it start? What domino did it push down? Can one person change the world? How about 100 people? How about 200,000? Or whatever that very-important-number is? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Bis Morgan,

Everyman